Il Fornaio

(408) 271-3366

302 S Market St
San Jose, CA 95113 37.3307 -121.8877

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Neighborhoods: Central San Jose, Central

ILFORNAIO.COM

Il Fornaio

Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana

What People Are Saying About Il Fornaio

The Editor

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene – Il Fornaio wisely chose its locations on the Peninsula, its restaurants ensconced in the vintage Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose and in the tony Garden Court at the center of Palo Alto. And despite the double stigma of being both a hotel restaurant and a chain, Silicon Valley movers and shakers still stop in to conduct business over a little omelette ai formaggi at breakfast, wood-fired pizzas at lunch, or golden-skinned roast chicken at dinner. – – The Food – Bruschettas, designer pizzas, tricked-out pastas and virtually anything emanating from…

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/06/09

Best Italian

by BettyWilkins

Butternut squash ravioli, a hard thing to make but this place does it the best I have found. It's broken up with tomato sauce that breaks up the flavors enough to make it anything but mundane (as this dish can be without a savory break). A friend has had their Vodka pasta dish and loved it as well.

For the price the attentive service is what you's expect, they clean off the table, are evtremely attentive, serve you with their other hand behind the back, turn the plate just do the main part is in front of you. The desert crepes...yummy to the last bite!

This place is a splurge on my budget settings but certainly necessary treat to look forward to.

  • Pros: Everything on the Menu
2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/10/08

I would only go if it's the only place downtown SJC that can accomodate you...

by pcalhoun

Was there last Saturday, and I have to say that I was very disappointed in both the service and the food. The menu was very comprehensive, but all four of us thought the food was below average. I had the lasagna, which was probably one of the worst ones I've had in a restaurant. My wife ordered the pappardelle with "wild boar", which must have been not only wild, but also difficult to hunt because it couldn't be found in the dish. All of us had either soup or salad. My mushroom soup should have been named "celery broth".

Honestly, if you want good italian food - stay away.

Oh, and service sucked. Waiters that simply didn't seem to care, other than the guy responsible for bringing us water and bread. The waiter spilled wine on my shirt, which was annoying, but what was really irritating was her taking her time to get something to clean it with.

3 Star Rating: Average

11/11/07

Great tasty Pizza snd lazy service..

by lajolla

Me, my wife and two teenage doughters visitied the San Jose location for a lunch on Sunday.

The dining area itself was rather impressive, roomy, nice decoration, and very Italian athmosphere.

Very nice! However, the great expectations started to fade away due to lazy service. Everything was done

slowly. All together we ended up waiting 40 minutes before the food was served eventually..

The food was OK but did not meet expectations either. Ravioli was heated to right temperature but kind of "tasteless". Veal was a bit of seasoned, been waiting (not served fresh) and kind of "messy" combination with mushrooms, sauce, etc. Also a bit "tasteless", have to say.

But pizza was one of the best ever had, very tasty. kid's loved it too. Overall, very nice athmosphere, nice decoration, but food unfortunately didn't meet the expectations...

The Details on Il Fornaio

Hoi Polloi Warning:

Waiters often focus on the business-lunch or -dinner tables and the rest of us get what's leftover of their attention.

More Italian:

If you like Il Fornaio, also try the great Il Postale in Sunnyvale.

Save Money:

Go for happy hour on Monday through Friday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm for $5 glasses of wine, $1 off pints and complimentary appetizers.

Hoi Polloi Warning:

Waiters often focus on the business-lunch or -dinner tables and the rest of us get what's leftover of their attention.

More Italian:

If you like Il Fornaio, also try the great Il Postale in Sunnyvale.

Category:

Restaurants

Cuisine:

Italian

Smoking Permitted:

No

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